


Fawn Response

by skepticallysighing



Series: 30 Días de Recuperación [2]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Evie-centric (Disney), F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Unresolved Trauma, evie doesn't prioritize herself, semi-healthy coping mechanisms, trauma response
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:28:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28541079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skepticallysighing/pseuds/skepticallysighing
Summary: Doug glanced at her, his tired, pleasant face so unreadable. “What do you want to watch?”She laughed nervously. “I’m asking you.” After a moment of him not responding, she added: “I just- what will make you happiest?”“If you choose whichever movie you want.”or,Evie knows how to read her friends when they're getting worked up and how to soothe them. That's why she's such a good friend.
Relationships: Doug/Evie (Disney: Descendants), Evie & Carlos de Vil, Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil, Evie & Jay (Disney)
Series: 30 Días de Recuperación [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090907
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	Fawn Response

**Author's Note:**

> Evie is a people-pleaser who doesn't know how to handle someone who can't be people-pleased.  
> Fight Freeze Fight Fawn

Jay, Mal, and Carlos were open books to her.

See, Evie knew her friends well enough to know what made them laugh, and more often then not, to spot what was getting them anxious and panicky. With a keen eye like hers, there was no one better to soothe their fluttering hearts than her.

Mal was easy to read because she was painfully predictable.

Mal was different when they adjusted to Auradon. She was like a cat, always on guard, always looking around, always ready to run.

So, Evie never ever gave her reason to.

She made sure not to say anything that might push Mal into feeling angry or stressed or defensive, because when Mal felt any negative feeling, she’d run away and be passive aggressive for days at a time. Even on days when Evie knew Mal was being unreasonable, she’d let her ramble it out, never once correcting her. 

Because once Mal had complained about everything, she’d settle down and let Evie brush her hair or make her a hot, cozy drink. Mal would take a nap and let everything go for just a bit. And they’d do it all again the next day.

For her, Carlos was the easiest to read, because she’d known him the longest. He was much better here at Auradon, where he could do what he pleased without needing to be preoccupied about what his mom needed. Evie knew what Cruella was like, had been like, and it made her heart ache with the overwhelming need to keep her dearest boy safe and close. 

Just a few days ago, she had been in her drawing room carefully sequining her newest designs. When Carlos came to vent, she let him in without a second thought -- everyone came to her to vent. But he had brought Duke, and Duke no sooner stepped into the room then peed right in the smack-middle of the room.

“Duke!” she had cried out in frustration, scrambling to stop the dog, to sop up the gross mess. “No, no no  _ no _ , Carlos, you can’t bring your dog in here if he’s going to do  _ that- _ ”

But she had cut herself off with a sinking feeling in her gut, because Carlos was absolutely frozen. His eyes were all wide, all scared-like, and she was gonna be sick because she had made him feel that way.

“Oh, Carlos-” she murmured softly, rising up all slow so as not to start him any further. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I shouldn’t’ve shouted at you.” She hadn’t really shouted, but she was the bigger person and he looked so small right now.

Carlos made a little mumbling sound, eyes following Duke as he pranced back to him. 

Evie set aside her books, making room on the plush sofa for him to sit. She got him all settled in, picking Duke up and returning him to his arms. After turning on the radio and fixing it to the lightest, sweetest jazz she could find, she cleaned up the floor. Carlos stayed quiet for a bit, but once he truly felt present and safe again, he refound his voice.

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize for anything,” Evie told him firmly. “Now, did you have something on your mind before we got all distracted?”

And he told her all about his date with Jane last night, and how he didn’t know if she really liked it or if she was just sweet and nice. Evie told him everything he needed to hear, reassuring him that he gave her a great date. After all, it was kind of her job to be the mother neither of them ever had.

Evie hadn’t been able to read Jay until she realized Jay read her.

“He’s a himbo,” Carlos had mumbled to her once, counting things off on his fingers. “Respects women, big and strong, dumb. That’s all three.”

It had made her laugh, but she didn’t know for sure if Jay was  _ really _ dumb. Maybe not book smart, because he had never had to be. Jay was raised to be street smart, and he was.

When they went back to the Isle to retrieve Mal, meeting Harry Hook again was one of the worst shocks. She had never liked him -- there was something about him that Mal found alluring, but Mal had poor judgement and a taste for havoc. Evie didn’t know how to handle creeps like him, and Carlos sure as hell couldn’t.

Evie and Carlos would stick together back in their Isle days, because even though neither of them were very tough, there was some strength in numbers. When Harry and other miscellaneous pirates came with wide grins and hungry eyes to beat the shit out of them, Evie and Carlos didn’t stand a chance, but at least they hadn’t been alone.

Things changed once Jay was on their side.

Evie had been with Jay walking down the street one day, trying to judge which vendor would be the easiest to finesse a snack from. She had been so focused on telling Jay about some bread-seller she knew how to handle, she hadn’t even noticed Harry getting close until he had grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back.

Then things blurred a little, because everything happened very fast.

She definitely cried out, and she could remember Harry’s voice dripping when he said: “Long time, no see, lovely, sh-” but he didn’t get further than that before Jay absolutely launched himself at the pirate. The hand on her hair dragged her down, and she had been too scared to think, too present. 

The hand let go, Evie scrambled back to her feet in a hurry. Vaguely and dumbly, her mind went first to  _ I have cold mud on my knees _ , but the thought didn’t last longer than that as she took in the fight before her. Hardly could call it a fight, Jay was beating the shit out of him. Harry may have had a sharp, sharp hook, but Jay had pure, hateful rage coursing through every inch of his soul.

The second thought Evie had was  _ Jay’s gonna kill him. _

“Jay-  _ Jay! _ ” she cried out, voice so much shriller than she meant it to be, and his eyes snapped right up to her. Jay had a nasty cut across his cheek from Harry’s hook, but he was still just as alert as ever. He kept his hands around Harry’s throat, paying the sharpest attention to Evie while the fiend gurgled below.

“You okay? Are you hurt?” he asked her, voice breathy from his fist fight.

“I’m fine, he just pulled my hair,” she murmured, holding out her arm to him. “Let’s get out of here.”

He gave Harry one more solid punch before taking Evie’s hand and running away down the street with her.

As they ran, she knew he knew it was more than the hair pull. Jay must’ve known Harry had been terrorizing her and Carlos for a long time. Must’ve picked up the way Evie and Carlos flinched when they heard his name. Must’ve been boiling up inside.

After that, Evie began to be careful about the way she’d react when she felt scared.

When they saw Harry Hook again years and years later, she had set a hand on his arm to keep him from beating Harry here and now. She didn’t even need to see the way he tensed up with hate, because Evie knew that sensing her fear was enough to send Jay into vicious, brutal fighting. But, she knew that her gentle hand on his arm was enough to keep him calm.

She didn’t know how to read Doug at all, and it really got to her. 

With his calm, gentle face, there was never any worries, any anger. Evie didn’t know what he didn’t like and what he did, so she didn’t know what was the right and wrong thing to do.

“Do you really want to watch  _ La Princesa Que Hablaba Con El Viento _ , or do you just want to do what I want to do?” Evie after a long day of finals, trying to choose which movie to rent.

“I’ll like whichever movie you like,” he said simply.

“Of course, I do have amazing taste,” she joked, putting on a winning smile. “But you have to have something you  _ prefer _ .”

Doug glanced at her, his tired, pleasant face so unreadable. “What do  _ you _ want to watch?”

She laughed nervously. “I’m asking  _ you _ .” After a moment of him not responding, she added: “I just- what will make you happiest?”

“If you choose whichever movie you want.”

It was frustrating, because Doug wasn’t like her friends or her mom. He wasn’t overwhelmed with anger and anxiety and the need to do things his way. She didn’t know how to give him what he wanted, give him what would make him happiest. For a long time, she thought he was being stubborn or nice, that eventually she’d crack some code and be able to pick apart what he wanted.

But Doug truly just wanted to spend time with her and support her. Watch her succeed. She didn’t need to do anything to make him happy, because just her existing without considering his needs? Just designing her dresses and watching her romance movies without stopping everything to tend to him?

Doug loved her, and Evie was still getting used to being loved unconditionally.


End file.
